Fairview Ave., Welty Road will be fixed this summer

Traveling on Fairview Avenue and portions of Welty Road is bumpy to say the least.

Motorists using two of Waynesboro’s more heavily-traveled roads may be able to enjoy smoother rides as early as mid-summer.

Thanks to a more affordable resurfacing method known as cold-in-place asphalt recycling paving, Waynesboro will be able to take advantage of a $500,000 grant awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The grant was awarded late in 2014 under the multi-modal transportation fund which was created in 2013 when the transportation bill known as Act 89 was passed.

According to Waynesboro Borough Manager Jason Stains, the borough’s goals since the funding was approved were to find a cost effective repair method and have enough money to pave all of the areas of concern on Fairview Avenue.

The areas being resurfaced include Fairview Avenue between Main Street and Eighth Street and a quarter-mile of Welty Road, beginning at the bridge near Otterbein Park to the borough line in the vicinity of Amsterdam Road and Quail Run Drive.

“We were originally concerned that we would only get to Sixth Street on Fairview Avenue before we ran out of money,” Stains said. “With the cold-in-place recycling we are able to go farther with the money we have. The cost of oil has also gone down so the cost of paving has decreased.”

Amy Kaufman, a grant specialist from GMS Funding Solutions who is retained by the borough, believes that the project is well within budget and the borough is awaiting the grant agreement from PennDOT before reviewing bids and awarding a contract with borough council’s authorization.

Road issues

According to Kaufman, the main issue with Welty Road, which serves as a link between Waynesboro and Washington Township, has been flooding.

Since the water goes outside the floodplain and over the roadway, several potholes and other defects in the road have been created.

“It’s far from an adequate roadway and it’s hard on vehicles going through there,” said Waynesboro Director of Engineering Kevin Grubbs.

Grubbs added that flooding has always been a concern on Welty Road due to the fact that it is a low-lying area surrounded by banks.

During the project, a metal stormwater drain will be placed below the road and the road will then be elevated 4 to 6 inches with a crown in the middle. Water will run off the road and limit flood issues.

Fairview Avenue doesn’t experience flooding like Welty Road, but the road is in a similar state of disrepair as it is plagued with potholes.

Fairview Avenue is a heavily-traveled thoroughfare in the borough as it accommodates traffic to and from Fairview Elementary School as well as recreation areas and senior and veteran housing.

Grubbs noted it is mandatory that the project be completed over the summer before school is back in session.

Cold-in-place asphalt recycling

“The goal has been simple — keep the money as low as possible so they could keep the match as low as possible,” Kaufman explained.

Originally, Grubbs estimated the project to last several weeks with costs of more than $900,000, which included the 30 percent match by the borough.

The cold-in-place recycling method will cut costs down to between $500,000 and $550,000. Those estimated figures reduce the 30 percent match that the Borough of Waynesboro is responsible for to around $165,000.

The recycling asphalt method is performed by a train-type piece of equipment which excavates existing pavement to a depth of 5 inches and then blends materials with a special asphalt mixture. Overall, the current surface is being recycled and remixed with asphalt emulsion.

“This is different than the conventional way. The emulsion gives it strength,” Grubbs said.

Cold-in-place recycling surfaces also allow vehicles to immediately get back on the road, according to Grubbs.

Locally, Mercersburg and Chambersburg are two municipalities that have used cold-in-place recycling to repair roads, according to Stains.

Contact Dustin Haluska at dhaluska@therecordherald.com, 717-762-2151 or on Twitter: @dhaluska

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